We went for a Ride
by Tonks158
Summary: One late night before his 7th year, sixteen-year old Harry Potter is restless.


**We went for a Ride**

He kept shifting on his cot, an occasional sigh issuing from beneath his quilt.

Sixteen-year-old Harry Potter was restless on this summer night.

He peeked out from beneath the blankets to look at Ron's wrist watch.

It was now 11:21. He'd been trying to go to sleep for the past hour and a half. It'd been absolutely impossible.

This hadn't happened all summer. Perhaps it was because he was coming upon his seventh, and last year at Hogwarts.

Yes, sometime this year or next year he was to meet Lord Voldemort in battle, but he could not help but feel a sense of . . . calm.

He could even admit, he'd gotten highly advanced in Occlumency and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Also his Charms and Transfiguration work.

Even when he looked into it now, he could not find an overwhelming sense of fear. . . He wasn't trying to brave or anything, it was only how he felt. But that wasn't what was bothering him.

Something else wasn't right. Harry couldn't figure out what, though. Something didn't feel right. . .

Harry sighed as he turned onto his side, his eyes wide open as he tucked his arm under his pillow.

Things had certainly taken a turn since he was fifteen. . .

Harry winced.

_Don't_. . .

It still stung to think about him. The pain still seemed fresh. As if it happened yesterday.

Harry gave an inarticulate groan, bringing a hand to his eyes. . .

That's what has been bothering him.

Tonight was the two-year anniversary . . .

That's why he's been so restless lately.

School had been let out early this year because of the death's of six students right after exams.

Two of those students Harry knew: Ernie Macmillan and Terry Boot. Both Prefects, both in the DA. They died together. Their bodies were found together . . .

"Harry?"

Startled, Harry peeked out to see Ron looking back at him, his hair trousled from sleep.

"You all right, mate?" he yawned.

"Yeah," sighed Harry. "I'm fine."

Nodding, Ron lay his head back down onto his pillow, and within minutes the sound of his snores filled the room once more.

Abandoning all pretences of sleep, Harry threw the blanket off his legs, pulling on a T-shirt and some socks and shoes.

He needed some air.

"_Nothing could have kept Sirius away from you that night, Harry_. . ._"_

Ginny Weasley had been sitting in the living room, curled up on the couch, a blanket thrown over herself.

She stared blankly out the window. It was a full moon tonight.

She herself had been rather restless lately.

Then again, she was always restless whenever Harry was around. . . And anxious - hopeful, too - And don't forget so nervous to the point where her palms would sweat and get clammy!

And she thought she'd given up on Harry Potter.

_Yeah, right_. . .

Ginny sighed.

After five years and three boyfriends she still liked him. It was getting to be undeniable. She was going to be stuck like this forever - just some lonely, decrepit old spinster that never got her own Mr. Right. Her own Happily Ever After.

Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, giving a huff of frustration.

She needed to do something. . . She needed to get out of the house, is what she needed to do.

She pulled the blanket off of herself and slipped on her fuzzy slippers.

She knew exactly what she was going to do. . .

Harry sat in the swing tied to a large oak in the backyard of The Burrow. Everything was illuminated in silver-blue from the moon.

Poor Remus.

It seemed Harry wasn't the only one in hell this night . . .

Well, at least he had Tonks to take care of him in the morning.

Harry rose from the swing and trudged over to the Ford Anglia.

Hagrid had found it in the Forbidden Forest the previous summer, and the Weasley boy's and Harry had taken it upon themselves to fix it up. Even Mrs. Weasley had been all right with it. She knew Harry needed to do something that would take his mind off of Sirius, and it had even worked a little.

So now the car gleamed with a new paint job, a fixed engine, and all of it's quirks fixed, including that old faulty invisibility booster, and even a few new things, thanks to Fred and George.

A slight grin eased Harry's lips. Those had been fun times.

But he didn't know if the Ministry knew of the car or not. He wasn't sure if Mr. Weasley had told them, or registered it, for that matter.

_Clink, clink, clink_.

The rustling of keys made Harry look around to see a long mane of red hair bending over near the driver side door.

Harry's grin widened with mischief.

Honestly, fifteen years of living with the likes of Fred and George and she was still learning.

"Out for a little drive, Ginny?"

Ginny jumped, gasping as she dropped the keys.

"Jesus Harry, don't scare me like that!" gasped Ginny. "I thought you were my mum!"

Harry grinned down at Ginny as he slid off the hood of the car.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

Ginny's face grew warm.

He was wearing nothing more than a black T-shirt and a pair of flannel pyjama trousers. And as he dug his hands into his pockets, his lean, Quidditch-toned form shone through the faded fabric.

"I - I was going out for a drive," Ginny said, willing her voice not to shake from nervousness.

"Guessed as much. D'you even know how to drive the Ford?" asked Harry, raising an eyebrow.

"Er - no," said Ginny. But a sudden thought came to her. "Fred and George never taught me - and Bill never got around to it. But you know how, don't you?"

"So what if I do?" asked Harry.

"_You_ could drive for me," said Ginny.

Harry snorted.

"Oh I see where you're going with this," he said, taking a step back. "No way, Ginerva Weasley-(she shuddered involuntarily at the sound of her name)-it's way too dangerous."

"Not with the new inventions Fred and George put in it," said Ginny coolly.

"But you're mum would find out," said Harry incredulously, "and she would kill us. Look at what she did to Fred, George and Ron the first time I came here -"

"Yeah but we're loads smarter than that," said Ginny. "Harry -"

"Ungh-uh - no way," said Harry, taking another step back. "You're crazy, Gin - someone'll see us - we'll be in so much trouble -"

"Oh, Harry, where's your sense of fun!" said Ginny. "C'mon. If we get in trouble, I'll protect you," she added slyly.

Harry snorted.

"You'll protect me?"

"You know you can't handle it on your own," Ginny grinned. She knew her goading was working. He was bound to crack soon. "But if I'm there -"

"Give me the keys," said Harry, putting out his hand.

But Ginny shook her head, clutching the keys closer to herself.

"I'll drive," sighed Harry, rolling his eyes.

Giggling at her victory, Ginny handed him the keys.

"Get in already."

Smiling, Ginny got in the passenger side and Harry soon got in after her.

He did not turn the engine on at once, simply turned the key one time and put it in drive.

The car coasted down the sloping hill of the backyard. The gravel crunched quietly beneath it's tires as they sped on, and once they were far enough away from the house, Harry turned the key and the engine revved. He pulled a silver knob and Ginny in amazement as the outside of the car disappeared.

"Will anybody see us?" she asked Harry.

He shook his head as he pushed a button beneath the ignition. Immediately the car lifted into the air with smooth speed and soon they were soaring in the clouds.

Ginny gasped, rolling down her window, letting the warm night air fill the car.

"Have you ever flown in this car before?" Harry asked, amused.

"No," Ginny said. "Mum never let me when Dad first got it, and it's been gone all these years."

She must have sounded astounded, for she heard Harry chuckle.

"Honestly, Gin, you act as if you've never even flown before."

His eyes sparkled with mirth as they soared into the starry night sky.

Ginny knew this would be a nice getaway, but the fact that Harry had come with her and actually was driving for her made it ten times better.

Ahead of them was a vast amount of cloud cover.

"Oh Harry, please go up there," Ginny asked.

Nodding, Harry accelerated, and they soared higher.

They broke through the clouds to see a beautiful sight of blanketed clouds, looking so thick you could stand on them.

"Gorgeous," sighed Ginny.

_We went for a ride_

_Undercover of the twilight_

_And no traffic on the road_

She stuck her hand out the window, letting her fingertips flow over the icy cold mists.

"So why were you up so late?" asked Harry.

Ginny blushed, but quickly covered it and shrugged. He did _not_ need to know that she was thinking about him.

"Just thinking," she answered him. "You?"

He did not answer her at once. He tipped the steering wheel to the left with one hand, the other raking through his messy hair.

"Harry?" she asked uncertainly.

"Er - same," Harry finally answered him.

Ginny frowned, but did not comment.

Something was bothering him tonight. Why else would he be outside all by himself. . . But what was it?

But Harry gave her a smile of reassurance as he glanced over at her.

"It's all right, though, Gin," he said. "I'm okay. . . Where d'you want to go?"

"Anywhere," Ginny smiled. "It doesn't matter."

_And there's only you and I_

_I hope you never get back home_

"The mountains?" asked Harry.

"Yeah."

Harry turned the steering wheel to the right, and some thirty minutes of a journey later they found themselves in mountain areas.

"I thought it would take longer," Ginny astounded.

"No," Harry shook his head. "Another one of Fred and George's inventions. It's got about an eighth of the Knight bus's speed now."

"Wow! I'm impressed."

He grinned.

"Where now?"

_I wish we'd go forever_

_And I wish we could just drive away_

_Into the night_

But as they drove on, Ginny still sensed there was something wrong with him. But she tried not to let it show too much.

Not until she knew at least.

"Ginny you should close your mouth, you're going to catch flies," laughed Harry.

Ginny grinned at him sheepishly.

"We should do this more often, you know?" she said.

"I dunno," said Harry. "If we're caught we could get in _huge_ trouble, Gin. Not just with your mum but with the Order _and_ the Ministry."

"Ah - the Ministry is a bunch of old, pompous fools walking around with quills up their arses," said Ginny. "With the exception of my dad and a few others, of course," she added.

"Well - as long as we're back before sunrise, we'll be fine," said Harry. "Where now?"

"I don't care, just not home yet," Ginny answered him.

_With your words of consolation_

_And the tree's of crystal white_

_I'll be praying for a reason_

_To extend this precious night_

Ginny's head was still spinning as they soared over a moonlit beach, watching birds flutter in the moonlight, searching for food.

She was so happy that she had this time with Harry. And however cheesy it may be, she was never going to forget this. . .

"Er - Gin what're you looking at?"

Ginny blushed at the realization that she'd been staring at him.

"Nothing," she said.

He ran a hand along the slight stubble of his chin, squinting his eyes into the horizon.

Suddenly it hit Ginny.

Tonight was the two-year anniversary of Sirius's passing. . .

Ginny nearly groaned.

How could she be so thoughtless! Of course Harry was outside by himself. Of course he was withdrawn.

She began to shiver, even if the window was closed. She was suddenly brought back to that night in the Department of Mysteries, and . . .

"You all right?" asked Harry.

"Harry I'm sorry," said Ginny. "I feel so bad."

"About what?" said Harry, glancing at her a few times with a slight frown.

"I forgot about tonight," said Ginny. "I forgot that he . . ."

"Oh," said Harry. "Gin - it's all right."

"No," said Ginny, her eyes downcast. "I - I feel really bad."

She began to shiver more.

_But there's nothing we can do_

_Except to keep on moving_

"Gin - come here."

Ginny stared at him.

"What?"

"Come here," repeated Harry.

Nervously, Ginny slid next to him, and he put an arm around her, running a hand up and down her arm in an effort to warm her.

"Even though we might get in huge trouble, and I'm freezing my arse off, I'm glad you dragged me along."

His cheeks pinkened at this sudden confession.

"And I'm glad I have some company, too. . . Well, at least not snoring company."

She smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes," said Harry. "Even if that sounded like complete bollocks."

Not to her, though.

_Here we are_

_We are alone together_

"We should be heading home, eh?" said Harry as they saw pinks and greys begin to colour the navy blue sky.

"Yeah," said Ginny. "Same time, same place tomorrow?"

He looked over at her, grinning.

"Maybe."

That was good enough for her.

And with that, she happily wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his cheek. He grinned at her, his cheeks nicely red, and she smiled back at him, completely unabashed.

And for certain, things wouldn't ever be the same. . .

_Here we are_

_We are alone together_

**End**


End file.
